Dr. Cummings was awarded the Honorary Degree during the College of Arts & Sciences Commencement. He was nominated for this award by a number of the Neuroscience faculty at the University of Wyoming. Dr. Cummings is Professor of Neurotherapeutics and Drug Development at the Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic; and Director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas, Nevada and Cleveland, Ohio.

As a Wyoming native he received an undergraduate degree from the University of Wyoming, where he majored in Zoology. He graduated with honors and subsequently attended the University of Washington Medical School. His fascination in neurology and the neurosciences arose from early interests in biology and philosophy, and according to Dr. Cummings, during his neurology residency he was encouraged to study the relationship between neuroscience, neurological diseases, society and the human spirit. Over 500 papers and 30 books on Alzheimer's and neurological disorders have been published by him and he is also the originator of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory; which is a comprehensive screening tool used in clinical trials worldwide. He was the recipient of the 2010 Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry. His research interests are in the development of biomarkers for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and the development of therapeutic drugs and approaches to treat neurodegenerative diseases.